Museum sets art on fire to protest budget cuts

What do you do if you're an Italian art museum protesting upcoming governmental budget cuts to cultural institutions? You torch your artwork, naturally. Antonio Manfredi, director of the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples, set a painting by French artist Séverine Bourguignon ablaze Tuesday and let it burn until it was completely destroyed. Bourguignon was in favor of the protest and reportedly watched the flames consume her work online. Manfredi, who has dubbed his not-overly-dramatic-at-all protest "Art War," says he plans on scorching three paintings a week. The museum hosts approximately 1,000 works, giving the demonstration plenty of time to catch fire.